When you become a parent, you may start to daydream about your child’s future. What will she be good at? When will she learn to read? Will he be a genius? Where will he go to college? And before we know it, we start signing them up for enriching activities and encouraging their academic excellence.
I remember thinking for all of my kids… Wow! They are so smart! But I never really stopped to think about play and how it is foundational for their development. How play engages their minds– their creativity, problem-solving, and curiosity. Play contributes to the overall well-being of children. Researchers from the University of Cambridge suggest that playfulness may promote well-being by fostering creativity, providing a sense of autonomy and control, and promoting resilience in the face of challenges.
Welcome to The Nikki Project, your go-to hub for unraveling life’s beautiful chaos through faith, journaling, parenting, and efficiency. We’re here to empower and inspire busy mamas like you who are seeking to balance personal growth, motherhood, and faith with grace and intention. Our mission is to help you embrace the imperfections, find joy in the chaos, and create a life that aligns with your values and purpose. Join our community of like-minded mamas to discover the extraordinary in the ordinary and find beauty in the messiness of motherhood– let’s roll.
DISCLOSURE: THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS, MEANING I GET A COMMISSION IF YOU DECIDE TO MAKE A PURCHASE THROUGH MY LINKS, AT NO COST TO YOU. PLEASE READ MY TERMS OF USE POLICY FOR MORE INFO.
The benefits of play
Through play, kids learn to think creatively, solve problems, and develop critical thinking skills. When my son builds a tower of blocks, he is learning how to balance the blocks and make them stable enough to stand on their own without his tiny hands. He is learning the cause and effect of what happens when the balance is off or when the tower gets too high to remain stable.
I love to see how their little minds work when they control play—when it is uninhibited by my adult desire for rules, boundaries, and structure. I love it when I catch the littles engaging in pretend play, and I get to hear the stories play out as their imaginations run wild.
Play also helps them develop executive functioning skills like planning, organizing, and decision-making. When they assign roles and play out a storyline, they exercise these skills.
Playing with others helps kids develop social and emotional skills by teaching them to cooperate, share, and negotiate. I witness this every time I listen in on the littles playing. My 3-year-old is a master at negotiating with his little sister, and she’s learning from him as he does it.
Physical play is a building block for gross motor skills like running, jumping, and climbing. It promotes overall health and well-being and provides an outlet for the neverending toddler energy. When that physical activity is outdoors, there are added benefits of reducing stress and improving mood—for you and your kids.
Honestly, any time things get overwhelming in our house, I move us outside. The unhindered movement and freedom to roam changes us and brings us more joy.
The importance of unstructured play
I am about as rigid as they come. I love structure, routine, and predictability, so allowing unstructured play has been so good for me and my kids. Unstructured play allows kids to explore their own imaginations and be creative.
My littles are forever picking up anything flat and rectangular in shape and making phone calls to different people they love. They are pretending and not being stopped by knowing this object is not a phone. They are pretending and creating a fun and interactive scenario they get to be in charge of.
Unstructured play lets them think outside the box. It allows them independent thinking and self-directed learning. They make decisions and solve problems. When you let a child decide, it can lead to better long-term retention than instructor-led learning. They are more motivated and engaged in learning.
I love getting in the unstructured play with the kids. It is a respite from stress and reminds me how to feel joy, excitement, and contentment. And they are so excited when I do what they tell me, and I follow their directions.
Practical ways to incorporate more play
Play doesn’t have to be elaborate or cost a ton of money. My son constantly finds things around the house and uses them to play. He pretends to make coffee, finds little objects to be his finger puppets, and makes binoculars out of toilet paper rolls.
We have a toy rotation, so they constantly have “new” things to play with. To encourage creativity and imagination, provide your kids with open-ended materials like blocks, art supplies, and dress-up clothes. Find toys that can be used in multiple ways or have no one right way to play with them.
Find a balance between structured and unstructured play. Try to find structured activities that align with your kiddo’s interests. Offer both structured and unstructured play or activities daily when possible. Maybe that looks like playing a board game, doing puzzles, exploring outside with shovels and buckets, and building blocks.
The key difference is that structured play has predefined rules, often with a specific learning objective, and is usually led by an adult. Unstructured play, on the other hand, is open-ended and child-led and allows for more creativity and exploration.
And lastly, join in! Your kids will love that you are playing with them. You will show them that play is valuable and that you are interested in their ideas. Make sure you follow your little one’s lead and resist the urge to impose your own ideas and structure.
Fred Rogers famously said, “Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.”
In a world that often values achievement over exploration, it’s up to us as parents to protect and prioritize play. Knowing the benefits of play and finding ways to incorporate more unstructured play into your children’s daily lives will help them thrive academically, emotionally, socially, and creatively.
Ready to bring more play into your child’s life? Download this free list of unstructured play ideas for different ages.
